The present invention relates to paint application means, and more particularly to a paint roller apparatus comprising a generally cylindrical roller sock, edge guard means and means for securing relative orientation therebetween, as well as methodology of application in the painting of a surface which is adjacent to a surface which is protected, by said edge guard means, from being simultaneously painted.
A common problem encountered by painters is that of xe2x80x9cedgingxe2x80x9d. That is, applying paint to a surface but not to an adjacent surface. This problem presents, for instance, at corners of rooms, or where a ceiling meets walls, or where trim is present etc.
The most common approach to preventing application of paint to surfaces which are not to be painted, while applying paint to immediately adjacent surfaces is to apply masking tape and paper etc. to cover the surfaces which are not to be painted. This practice, while successful, is tedious, time consuming and even messy. It would therefore be highly desirable were apparatus and methodology available which enabled painters to xe2x80x9cedgexe2x80x9d without the need to apply masking tape etc.
In 1997 the Inventors of the present invention obtained a U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,740 on a Paint Roller Edge Guard system, said Patent being incorporated herein by reference. Said 740 patent described a paint roller edge guard apparatus for use with generally cylindrical roller stock, which invention has proven to be very successfully applied in practice. And, while said paint roller edge guard apparatus provided for positioning a roller sock in painting and filling positions, said 740 patent did not describe the presence of a locking means by which said roller sock could reliably be secured in the painting position, when desired by a user. In fact it has been found that in use, the system of the 740 patent at times allows the roller sock to slip from the painting position toward the filling position. While not rendering the utility of the system of the 740 patent moot, and while easily corrected when it occurs by user action, said unintended effect can be annoying. A primary purpose and/or objective of the present invention is then to provide a locking-means to a system similar to that described in the 740 patent, which locking-means can be engaged to prevent said identified untoward position change in use.
It is additionally noted that the system of the 740 patent described a spring loaded means for allowing beneficial motion of a paint roller edge guard with respect to a handle of the paint roller edge guard system described therein. The present invention, while not excluding the spring loaded means approach, provides that a preferred system utilizes non-rigid means for mounting a paint roller edge guard made of material which can be easily distorted in position/orientation by application of force thereto, but which returns to its original position/orientation when the force is removed. Preferred practice is to use the same injection molded material for fabricating a handle and the non-rigid means for mounting the paint roller edge guard.
Additional patents identified in the 740 patent were:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,269 to Deck;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,763,022 to Glacken; and
U.S. Pat. No. 3,623,180 to Anderson.
None of said Patents described a paint guard adapted for both pivotal and rotational movement to accommodate surface irregularities and placement during use.
Recent additional Patent Searching, with focus on the presence of xe2x80x9clocking-meansxe2x80x9d in a paint roller apparatus, has identified a Patent to Baril, U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,491. A xe2x80x9clocking-meansxe2x80x9d is present which facilitates securing a roller sock in positions essentially parallel and essentially perpendicular to a handle in a controllable paint roller. The purpose is to allow configuring the paint roller system for use both in a conventional position and in a position which allows use as a brush.
Even in view of the prior art, a need remains for an improved edging paint roller system, and method of its use.
The present invention system is a paint roller apparatus used with a generally cylindrical roller sock which, in use, is applied in painting a surface which is adjacent to a surface which is not to be simultaneously painted. Said apparatus comprises a handle having a longitudinal axis; an edge guard having a plurality of edges and front and back faces; means for affixing said edge guard to said handle such that the plane of the front face thereof faces and extends essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle, but is offset therefrom; means for rotatably affixing a roller sock to said handle such that a longitudinal axis thereof is oriented essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said handle; such that said longitudinal axis of said roller sock can be rotated about said longitudinal axis of said handle between:
a painting position, wherein said longitudinal axis of said roller sock is oriented essentially perpendicular to and adjacent to said edge guard front face; and
a filling position wherein the roller sock longitudinal axis is oriented other than essentially perpendicular to said edge guard front face, and typically parallel thereto.
Upon causing said roller sock to contain paint, and the placing of said roller sock in said painting position, and the positioning said back face of said edge guard adjacent to a surface which is not to be painted, said roller sock can be moved forward into contact with a surface to be painted by application of pressure to said handle, thereby causing the roller sock to contact said surface to be painted and apply paint present on said roller sock thereto, while said edge guard substantially blocks application of paint to said adjacent surface.
Said paint roller apparatus further, in the preferred embodiment, comprises a locking means on said handle which allows fixing said roller sock in the painting position, wherein the roller sock longitudinal axis is oriented essentially perpendicular to, and adjacent to said edge guard front face.
The means for rotatably affixing said roller sock to said handle, such that the longitudinal axis of said roller sock can be rotated about said longitudinal axis of said handle between a painting position and a filling position comprises, in the preferred embodiment, a shaft, a first portion of which has an axis oriented essentially parallel to said longitudinal axis of said handle and a second portion oriented perpendicularly thereto, and another, third, portion again oriented essentially parallel to said longitudinal axis of said handle and another and a forth portion being again oriented perpendicular thereto, to which forth recited portion the roller sock is affixed via roller sock support means. Said first shaft portion, with an axis oriented essentially parallel to said longitudinal axis of said handle is rotatably mounted in said handle, and said shaft further has an extension thereof oriented essentially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said handle which extends out of said handle, in a user accessible manner. User application of pressure to said extension can cause rotation of said shaft about said shaft longitudinal axis. This configuration is best appreciated by a viewing of FIG. 3, with reference to relevant descriptive language in the Detailed Description Section of this Specification.
The preferred embodiment provides that said locking means is slidably mounted on said handle in a manner allowing movement thereof along the direction of the longitudinal axis of said handle, and said locking means is positioned so as to allow engagement and disengagement of the extension of said shaft which is perpendicularly oriented to said longitudinal shaft axis and extends out of said handle in a user accessible manner. However, any locking means which performs the same function, by any motion, is within the scope of the present invention.
The preferred means for affixing said edge guard to said handle is non-rigid, such that application of pressure to said handle to place said roller sock in contact with a surface to be painted allows a forward edge of said edge guard, which in use contacts said surface to be painted, to move backward and become positioned even with, or behind said roller sock at said location of said roller sock contact to said surface to be painted. When said pressure is removed, said non-rigid material demonstrates xe2x80x9cmemoryxe2x80x9d and returns to its pre-stressed shape and orientation. It is noted that the 740 patent to Burns et al. demonstrated this function by applying springs mounted in the handle, and said embodiment is a non-preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Preferred construction of the present invention paint roller apparatus provides that said locking means, which allows fixing said roller sock in a painting position, be located in a position so that it is easily operated by a user""s thumb when said user holds the paint roller apparatus by said handle. Additionally, preferred construction of the present invention paint roller apparatus provides that said extension, on said shaft which is oriented perpendicular to the axis oriented essentially parallel to said longitudinal axis of said handle, and which extends out of said handle, be also positioned so that it is easily operated by a user""s thumb when said user holds the paint roller apparatus by said handle.
In the preferred embodiment, at least the edge of said edge guard which in use contacts said surface to be painted, comprises a bevel shape.
A method of the present invention comprises:
a. providing a present invention system is a paint roller apparatus as described above;
b. placing the roller sock into a filling position wherein the roller sock longitudinal axis is oriented other than essentially perpendicular to said edge guard front face, and typically parallel to the front surface thereof, and causing paint to be filled onto said roller sock;
c. placing the roller sock into a painting position, wherein said longitudinal axis of said roller sock is oriented essentially perpendicular to and adjacent to said edge guard front face; and
d. applying pressure to said handle to force said roller sock into contact with a surface and apply paint thereto, while said edge guard substantially prevents application of paint to said adjacent surface.
The present invention will be better understood by reference to the Disclosure of the Invention Section, in conjunction with the Drawings.
A primary purpose and/or objective of the present invention is to provide a locking-means to an edge guard containing paint roller apparatus which comprises a generally cylindrical roller sock, which edge guard containing paint roller apparatus is used in painting a surface which is adjacent to a surface which is not to be simultaneously painted, which locking-means can be engaged to prevent untoward position change, between filling and painting positions, in use.
It is another purpose and/or objective of the present invention to provide a system which utilizes non-rigid means for mounting a paint roller edge guard, said non-rigid means being made of material which can be easily distorted in position/orientation by application of force thereto, but which non-rigid means returns to its original position/orientation when the force is removed.
It is another purpose and/or objective of the present invention to teach methodology for application of the present invention apparatus.
Other purposes and/or objectives of the present invention will become clear upon a reading of the Specification and claims. dr
FIG. 1 shows a present invention apparatus in a painting position.
FIG 2a shows a present invention apparatus in a filling position.
FIG. 2b shows a present invention apparatus in a painting position which is complementary to the view of FIG. 2a. 
FIGS. 3 and 4 show front and side views of a present invention apparatus with the roller sock oriented in both filling and painting positions.
FIG. 5 shows means for rotatably affixing a roller sock to said handle.
FIGS. 6 and 7 show front and back views of a present invention an edge guard means.
FIGS. 8a and 8b show two possible demonstrative approaches to attaching locking means, for securing a roller sock in a painting position, to the present invention handle.